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Assemblymember Tom Daly (D – Anaheim) today introduced AB 1907, new legislation to eliminate a provision in state law authorizing the sale of the Orange County Fair & Event Center property.

That authority has existed since 2009, when the State Legislature agreed to support a proposal by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sell the fairgrounds, along with several other sites, as part of an effort to close a large state budget deficit during the Great Recession.

The state later received, but ultimately rejected, several bids for the property. This decision came after much public outcry and a dispute in court.

Daly noted that the Orange County Fair & Event Center is home to not only the county fair, which typically draws more than 1.3 million visitors each year, but also recreational and cultural events – including an annual Tet Festival, which the Fair and Event Center bills as the largest of its kind in the world.

In addition, the Fair & Event Center has been self-supporting since 2011, meaning that it derives no funding from California taxpayers.

“The Orange County Fair & Event Center ranks among the best in the state and has clearly been a source of pride to people across Orange County,” Daly said. “And while Governor Brown has made it clear that he does not support the notion of selling the land upon which the Fair and Event Center sits and operates, the fact that this law exists means the door remains open to a future Governor with a different perspective on the issue.”

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